The General Electric Co. has officially abandoned its plans for a $300 million solar panel factory in Aurora."We have decided that it is not in the best interest of GE, our customers or the Denver community to move forward with the build-out of this facility," Lindsay Thiel, a GE spokeswoman, said in an email.GE announced plans for the plant, which would have employed 335 people,...

Not surprising and it's good that this didn't turn into another Solyndra or Abound debacle. The largest PV panel manufacturer in the world, Suntech, filed for bankruptcy in May of 2013. The Germans are dumping their heavily subsidized solar program. Without heavy tax breaks, solar power generation is simply a money pit. I wonder what that nitwit Bill The New Energy Economy" Ritter will have to say about yet another "alternative energy" failure.

AA Cunningham wrote:Not surprising and it's good that this didn't turn into another Solyndra or Abound debacle. The largest PV panel manufacturer in the world, Suntech, filed for bankruptcy in May of 2013. The Germans are dumping their heavily subsidized solar program. Without heavy tax breaks, solar power generation is simply a money pit. I wonder what that nitwit Bill The New Energy Economy" Ritter will have to say about yet another "alternative energy" failure.

Your post doesn't address the fact that the chinese are subsidizing their solar industry to the extent that they are flooding the market with underpriced panels, along with their other unethical trade practices.

No need for spell checking... the factory was going to be in Aurora and the R&D is, or was, going on in Arvada.

It's good to hear that there is a glut of panels at low prices, but it's sad and odd that a BIG corporation like GE can't compete with the little guys in the game. I guess they want HuGe profits rather than reasonable profits. And surely they would have any cutting edge technology and resources to make it happen and stay ahead of the curve. In a state like Colorado with 300+ days of sunshine at high altitude wouldn't this be the place to be building these? If every home in CO had one solar panel, I'm sure we could close a couple fossil plants.

AA Cunningham wrote:Not surprising and it's good that this didn't turn into another Solyndra or Abound debacle. The largest PV panel manufacturer in the world, Suntech, filed for bankruptcy in May of 2013. The Germans are dumping their heavily subsidized solar program. Without heavy tax breaks, solar power generation is simply a money pit. I wonder what that nitwit Bill The New Energy Economy" Ritter will have to say about yet another "alternative energy" failure.

Your post doesn't address the fact that the chinese are subsidizing their solar industry to the extent that they are flooding the market with underpriced panels, along with their other unethical trade practices.

No need for spell checking... the factory was going to be in Aurora and the R&D is, or was, going on in Arvada.

The Chinese are DOING THAT to collect the lucrative subsidies offered by this disastrous U.S. government. Ethics is in fact one of the few things they share with the Obama regime. They do NOT share the self-destructive idiocy.

Broomfieldonian wrote:It's good to hear that there is a glut of panels at low prices, but it's sad and odd that a BIG corporation like GE can't compete with the little guys in the game. I guess they want HuGe profits rather than reasonable profits. And surely they would have any cutting edge technology and resources to make it happen and stay ahead of the curve. In a state like Colorado with 300+ days of sunshine at high altitude wouldn't this be the place to be building these? If every home in CO had one solar panel, I'm sure we could close a couple fossil plants.

We would still need the "fossil plants" at night and when it's cloudy. So we COULDN'T close them. Just waste their efficiency by cycling them up and down.

AA Cunningham wrote:Not surprising and it's good that this didn't turn into another Solyndra or Abound debacle. The largest PV panel manufacturer in the world, Suntech, filed for bankruptcy in May of 2013. The Germans are dumping their heavily subsidized solar program. Without heavy tax breaks, solar power generation is simply a money pit. I wonder what that nitwit Bill The New Energy Economy" Ritter will have to say about yet another "alternative energy" failure.

Your post doesn't address the fact that the chinese are subsidizing their solar industry to the extent that they are flooding the market with underpriced panels, along with their other unethical trade practices.

No need for spell checking... the factory was going to be in Aurora and the R&D is, or was, going on in Arvada.

The Chinese are DOING THAT to collect the lucrative subsidies offered by this disastrous U.S. government. Ethics is in fact one of the few things they share with the Obama regime. They do NOT share the self-destructive idiocy.

Both right. They steal our technology then sell it back to us cheaper than we can build it ourselves.

Setting aside the politics of the green energy debate, this is a loss for the Denver area economy. An employer like GE bringer high paying jobs to the metro area is good for the city - no matter your politics on the energy policy.

AA Cunningham wrote:Not surprising and it's good that this didn't turn into another Solyndra or Abound debacle. The largest PV panel manufacturer in the world, Suntech, filed for bankruptcy in May of 2013. The Germans are dumping their heavily subsidized solar program. Without heavy tax breaks, solar power generation is simply a money pit. I wonder what that nitwit Bill The New Energy Economy" Ritter will have to say about yet another "alternative energy" failure.

Your post doesn't address the fact that the chinese are subsidizing their solar industry to the extent that they are flooding the market with underpriced panels, along with their other unethical trade practices.

No need for spell checking... the factory was going to be in Aurora and the R&D is, or was, going on in Arvada.

The Chinese are DOING THAT to collect the lucrative subsidies offered by this disastrous U.S. government. Ethics is in fact one of the few things they share with the Obama regime. They do NOT share the self-destructive idiocy.

Both right. They steal our technology then sell it back to us cheaper than we can build it ourselves.

Yep, few are paying attention to this. If there is not a change of direction I feel this will be the downfall of America. The drones are more worried about other things.

You can't do something for everyone. Sometimes, you have to fire the customer. Don't feed the beast, not all revenue is good revenue. You can't dig yourself out of a pit, and if you can't dig yourself out of a pit, STOP DIGGING!

AA Cunningham wrote:Not surprising and it's good that this didn't turn into another Solyndra or Abound debacle. The largest PV panel manufacturer in the world, Suntech, filed for bankruptcy in May of 2013. The Germans are dumping their heavily subsidized solar program. Without heavy tax breaks, solar power generation is simply a money pit. I wonder what that nitwit Bill The New Energy Economy" Ritter will have to say about yet another "alternative energy" failure.

Your post doesn't address the fact that the chinese are subsidizing their solar industry to the extent that they are flooding the market with underpriced panels, along with their other unethical trade practices.

No need for spell checking... the factory was going to be in Aurora and the R&D is, or was, going on in Arvada.

The Chinese are DOING THAT to collect the lucrative subsidies offered by this disastrous U.S. government. Ethics is in fact one of the few things they share with the Obama regime. They do NOT share the self-destructive idiocy.

Huh? The Chinese don't collect any US federal subsidies for selling their solar panels here. Where did you hear that? LOL

It's no surprise. The Chinese government has invested much more in renewable energy research than the US. Their technology is outstanding. And they have a lower wage base so they can out-manufacture us as well. The US is likely to be a follower rather than leader in the next global economic boom if we don't find the political will to do something about it. This is a lot more worrisome than just the job losses in Colorado.

AA Cunningham wrote:Not surprising and it's good that this didn't turn into another Solyndra or Abound debacle. The largest PV panel manufacturer in the world, Suntech, filed for bankruptcy in May of 2013. The Germans are dumping their heavily subsidized solar program. Without heavy tax breaks, solar power generation is simply a money pit. I wonder what that nitwit Bill The New Energy Economy" Ritter will have to say about yet another "alternative energy" failure.

Your post doesn't address the fact that the chinese are subsidizing their solar industry to the extent that they are flooding the market with underpriced panels, along with their other unethical trade practices.

No need for spell checking... the factory was going to be in Aurora and the R&D is, or was, going on in Arvada.

The Chinese are DOING THAT to collect the lucrative subsidies offered by this disastrous U.S. government. Ethics is in fact one of the few things they share with the Obama regime. They do NOT share the self-destructive idiocy.

Huh? The Chinese don't collect any US federal subsidies for selling their solar panels here. Where did you hear that? LOL

Where do you think the IDIOTS that are buying the panels are getting their money? Virtually every solar panel purchase involves federal renewable energy credits. That is cash. It's the only reason the deals make any sense....front-end federal cash. Thank you taxpayers (idiots).

AA Cunningham wrote:Not surprising and it's good that this didn't turn into another Solyndra or Abound debacle. The largest PV panel manufacturer in the world, Suntech, filed for bankruptcy in May of 2013. The Germans are dumping their heavily subsidized solar program. Without heavy tax breaks, solar power generation is simply a money pit. I wonder what that nitwit Bill The New Energy Economy" Ritter will have to say about yet another "alternative energy" failure.

Your post doesn't address the fact that the chinese are subsidizing their solar industry to the extent that they are flooding the market with underpriced panels, along with their other unethical trade practices.

No need for spell checking... the factory was going to be in Aurora and the R&D is, or was, going on in Arvada.

The Chinese are DOING THAT to collect the lucrative subsidies offered by this disastrous U.S. government. Ethics is in fact one of the few things they share with the Obama regime. They do NOT share the self-destructive idiocy.

Huh? The Chinese don't collect any US federal subsidies for selling their solar panels here. Where did you hear that? LOL

Where do you think the IDIOTS that are buying the panels are getting their money? Virtually every solar panel purchase involves federal renewable energy credits. That is cash. It's the only reason the deals make any sense....front-end federal cash. Thank you taxpayers (idiots).

I know how the subsidy works. But you said the Chinese are under-pricing their panels here in order to collect the subsidies, which is absurd. And renewable energy incentives make a lot of sense, especially given how far we've fallen behind the rest of the world. I believe we're idiots to subsidize big oil, the most profitable industry on the planet and the energy technology of the past.

The solar generation federal and state subsidies are for the installation and thus go to owner of the facility. The lower priced panels may indeed capture more market due to pricing, but they do not collect the tax effects directly.

Broomfieldonian wrote:It's good to hear that there is a glut of panels at low prices, but it's sad and odd that a BIG corporation like GE can't compete with the little guys in the game. I guess they want HuGe profits rather than reasonable profits. And surely they would have any cutting edge technology and resources to make it happen and stay ahead of the curve. In a state like Colorado with 300+ days of sunshine at high altitude wouldn't this be the place to be building these? If every home in CO had one solar panel, I'm sure we could close a couple fossil plants.

The cost of any product is the labor, and the Chinese have a huge advantage on that over us.

If GE decides to jump into the solar market in the future, I imagine it will be by building there production facilities there, possibly some or all of their research facilities as well.

"The only people who don't want to disclose the truth are people with something to hide." (Barack Obama August 21, 2010)

Broomfieldonian wrote:It's good to hear that there is a glut of panels at low prices, but it's sad and odd that a BIG corporation like GE can't compete with the little guys in the game. I guess they want HuGe profits rather than reasonable profits. And surely they would have any cutting edge technology and resources to make it happen and stay ahead of the curve. In a state like Colorado with 300+ days of sunshine at high altitude wouldn't this be the place to be building these? If every home in CO had one solar panel, I'm sure we could close a couple fossil plants.

The cost of any product is the labor, and the Chinese have a huge advantage on that over us.

If GE decides to jump into the solar market in the future, I imagine it will be by building there production facilities there, possibly some or all of their research facilities as well.

I have never visited a soal panel factory. Is it really that labor intensive? I had had thought that manufacuring of the panels would have been capital intensive. If anybody has a link or two to help me, that would be appreciated.

“I am a libertarian with a small 'l' and a Republican with a capital 'R'. And I am a Republican with a capital 'R' on grounds of expediency, not on principle.” ― Milton Friedman

Broomfieldonian wrote:It's good to hear that there is a glut of panels at low prices, but it's sad and odd that a BIG corporation like GE can't compete with the little guys in the game. I guess they want HuGe profits rather than reasonable profits. And surely they would have any cutting edge technology and resources to make it happen and stay ahead of the curve. In a state like Colorado with 300+ days of sunshine at high altitude wouldn't this be the place to be building these? If every home in CO had one solar panel, I'm sure we could close a couple fossil plants.

The cost of any product is the labor, and the Chinese have a huge advantage on that over us.

If GE decides to jump into the solar market in the future, I imagine it will be by building there production facilities there, possibly some or all of their research facilities as well.

I have never visited a solar panel factory. Is it really that labor intensive? I had had thought that manufacuring of the panels would have been capital intensive. If anybody has a link or two to help me, that would be appreciated.

Last edited by just lurking on August 6th, 2013, 4:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

“I am a libertarian with a small 'l' and a Republican with a capital 'R'. And I am a Republican with a capital 'R' on grounds of expediency, not on principle.” ― Milton Friedman

locke-1 wrote:It's no surprise. The Chinese government has invested much more in renewable energy research than the US. Their technology is outstanding. And they have a lower wage base so they can out-manufacture us as well. The US is likely to be a follower rather than leader in the next global economic boom if we don't find the political will to do something about it. This is a lot more worrisome than just the job losses in Colorado.

The political will we need is the political will to get rid of "Free Trade" in favor of equitable trade based on worker lifestyle equity (i.e. our labor can easily compete with European labor, but not with Chinese or Indian labor).

But there is no political will beyond lip service -and very little lip service- to do that in either of the ruling parties (which are actually competing factions of the same party).

Nothing will change till Free Trade changes.

Ross Perot is due an apology, yet no one is willing to admit he was right and give him one.

"The only people who don't want to disclose the truth are people with something to hide." (Barack Obama August 21, 2010)